Pickwick answers a home-service shop's phone when nobody in the office can: after hours, on weekends, and when the line is busy. It says in its first sentence that it is automated, speaks English or Spanish, takes the caller's name, number and address, and reads the address back with the house number digit by digit. Then it sorts the call: a caller who names gas, carbon monoxide, smoke or sparks hears fixed "hang up and call 911" wording; urgent calls are flagged to the people the shop lists; routine jobs are penciled into the calendar and held for the owner's one-tap approval. Calls are recorded and transcribed, and the owner sees them in a dashboard. The shop keeps its own number and forwards it. Plans start at $149 a month, with a 14-day free trial and no card.
